Avs forward Logan O’Connor signs 6-year extension to stay with the team through 2030-31 season

DENVER (AP) — Logan O’Connor and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a six-year extension that will keep him with the organization through the 2030-31 season.

The 28-year-old forward is coming off an injury-marred season that ended early with him undergoing hip surgery in March. Despite being limited to 57 games, he had a career-high 13 goals. O’Connor was a part of the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

“We are thrilled to have ‘OC’ under contract for the next seven years,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He is a relentless worker and competitor who brings energy and grit to the lineup every night. His speed and skating ability makes him a dangerous two-way player and he is one of our top penalty-killers.”

Before turning professional, O’Connor played three seasons for the University of Denver. He was a member of the Pioneers squad that won an NCAA championship in 2016-17.

O’Connor signed with Colorado as a free agent in July 2018, and made his NHL debut on Dec. 31, 2018. He’s played in 263 games, scoring 35 goals, over six seasons.

As news of his extension began to spread, O’Connor said he had around 10 teammates reach out.

“It goes to show how unique and incredible our locker room is,” O’Connor said Monday night before a preseason game.

O’Connor said there’s a determination around a team led by Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen to get back to hockey’s highest summit. The Avalanche were knocked out of the 2023 playoffs in the first round and the second round last season.

Colorado has no definitive timeline for a return of captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee) or forward Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder surgery). But the Avalanche will be without forward Val Nichushkin until sometime in mid-November as he serves a suspension that was announced during the team’s second-round series loss to Dallas.

O’Connor’s return from injury provides a big boost.

“I think the organization sets us up every year to give us the opportunity to win,” O’Connor said. “I think you learn from your failures, and obviously the last two years, we’ve come up short. But I think coming into this year, there’s a bit of new excitement around it.

“We’re two years away from the top. That’s long gone at this point, and we want to reestablish ourselves as a team that can win it again.”

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